Silence Dogood here. Our Tasmanian blogging friend Fran (http://theroadtoserendipity.wordpress.com/) reminded me that conspicuous consumption had become the order of the day aound the holidays, and that it behooved us to try to celebrate in a manner befitting the meaning of the season. I hate it that now, the day after Hallowe’en, it’s become the norm for stores to put out the Christmas stuff and completely override Harvest Home and its major festival Thanksgiving, with its dual themes of abundance and gratitude.

But there’s one aspect of the hype and hoopla that I love: The gorgeous gift catalogs our friend Ben and I receive every year around this time. I love to see the food and cooking equipment, the jewelry, the ornaments, the household items (from homespun to sumptuous), the crafts, the museum catalogs with their exquisite cards, the plants and garden supplies, the cookbooks, the travel books—pretty much everything. And of course, I want all this luscious stuff for myself.

Need I say, the holiday season is expensive enough without spending additional money on yourself. So how can you let yourself enjoy the endless temptations of the season without succumbing to them? With catalogs, it’s easy, since it’s not as easy to actually shop as it is in a store or online. I’ve developed a two-step process that allows me to indulge myself while keeping my credit card safely in my purse.

I find catalogs to be perfect bedtime reading: They appeal to the senses while demanding nothing from the mind. This allows me to relax with a tempting catalog and savor every photo and description while keeping my mind from revving (if I start thinking immediately before bed, I often don’t sleep for hours). Then, in the morning, I put the catalog away. And promptly forget about it. I’ve had my fun, indulged in my fantasies, and protected my feeble checking account. Try it, I think you’ll like it!